Tracii Hutsona

Tracii Show Hutsona
Born:
Charges:	Wire fraud; aggravated identity theft
Sentence:	51 months federal prison (later reduced to 42 months), 3 years supervised release
Facility:	FCI Phoenix
Status:	Released

Tracii Show Hutsona is an American restaurant owner who was convicted of federal fraud for embezzling more than $1 million from Joumana Kidd, an actress and the former wife of NBA player and coach Jason Kidd. Hutsona worked as Kidd's personal assistant from October 2015 to November 2019. During that period she drained money from Kidd's bank accounts and from two college savings accounts held for Kidd's children.

She pleaded guilty in July 2022. On February 28, 2023, U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York sentenced her to 51 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, above the 33-to-41-month range prosecutors had sought. She was ordered to pay $1,148,759.28 in restitution. Judge Furman described her conduct as "despicable" and called her a "serial con artist."

The 2023 conviction was not Hutsona's first. In 2008 she was convicted in a separate federal fraud case in California and sentenced to more than six years in prison. She committed the Kidd scheme after that earlier term. Outside the courtroom, Hutsona is known as the owner of Breakfast Bitch, a brunch restaurant in the Roosevelt Row district of Phoenix, Arizona.

Background

Hutsona, of Scottsdale, Arizona, presented herself publicly as a social media figure and lifestyle-brand founder. She operated a personal concierge and lifestyle business and used that profile when she went to work for Joumana Kidd.

Her criminal history predates the Kidd case. In 2007 she was arrested on identity theft and wire fraud charges. In 2008 she pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and tax evasion and was ordered to pay $484,439.79 in restitution. She received a sentence of more than six years in federal prison. Court filings in that matter documented earlier conduct that included passing a bad check to buy a Jeep, using stolen and forged checks to pay rent and buy a washer and dryer, opening a department store credit card under a variant of another person's name and Social Security number, and fraudulently obtaining a passport after the government had seized hers.

Criminal Case

Hutsona was hired as Joumana Kidd's personal assistant in 2015 and was paid a salary of $80,000 a year. Prosecutors said that from October 2015 through November 2019 she abused that access to take more than $1 million from her employer.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Hutsona opened an unauthorized credit card in Kidd's name in February 2016. She added herself as an account holder on Kidd's checking and savings accounts and obtained additional credit cards in her own name that drew on those accounts. She created a fraudulent power of attorney document. She transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars out of Kidd's accounts, including from two 529 college savings accounts that Kidd maintained for her children.

Prosecutors said Hutsona spent the stolen money on her concierge business, mobile phones, restaurants, nightclubs, luxury hotels, and jewelry. The scheme ran for roughly four years before it was discovered.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the New York City Police Department. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York under U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy V. Capozzi handling the prosecution. The case was filed as United States v. Hutsona, No. 1:21-cr-00299, in the Southern District of New York.

Trial and Sentencing

Hutsona pleaded guilty in July 2022. She faced a potential maximum of 20 years on the fraud count before the plea.

On February 28, 2023, Judge Jesse M. Furman sentenced her to 51 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence exceeded the 33-to-41-month range prosecutors had requested. The court ordered restitution and forfeiture of $1,148,759.28. At sentencing, Hutsona said, "I am very sorry to Ms. Kidd for violating the trust," and stated that she would pay the money back.

Incarceration

Hutsona reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 20, 2023.

In March 2024, Judge Furman reduced her sentence from 51 months to 42 months. The order was signed on March 19, 2024. The reduction followed a record of programming completed during her incarceration, including teaching creative writing, life skills, and release-planning classes, and participation in prison programs. The government opposed the reduction. Hutsona was also approved for a period in a halfway house.

Release and Aftermath

Hutsona was released from custody by December 2024 and returned to operating the Breakfast Bitch restaurant.

The Breakfast Bitch restaurant first opened in Phoenix in November 2020 inside the Cambria Hotel at Second and Portland streets. It later moved to 330 Roosevelt Row, opening there in November 2022. Hutsona had operated an earlier Breakfast Bitch location in San Diego. While she was incarcerated, the business faced financial and legal pressure. BB Restaurant Group, LLC, the company behind the brand, filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona, and the Roosevelt Row location faced an eviction action from its landlord over unpaid rent. The San Diego location closed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Tracii Hutsona?

Tracii Show Hutsona is an American restaurant owner who was convicted of federal fraud for embezzling more than $1 million from Joumana Kidd, the former wife of NBA player Jason Kidd. Hutsona worked as Kidd's personal assistant from 2015 to 2019. She owns the Breakfast Bitch restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona.

Q: What did Tracii Hutsona do?

From October 2015 to November 2019, while working as Joumana Kidd's personal assistant, Hutsona opened an unauthorized credit card in Kidd's name, added herself to Kidd's bank accounts, created a fraudulent power of attorney, and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars out of Kidd's accounts, including from two college savings accounts held for Kidd's children. She took more than $1 million in total.

Q: How long was Tracii Hutsona's sentence?

She was sentenced on February 28, 2023, to 51 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. In March 2024, the sentence was reduced to 42 months.

Q: How much did Tracii Hutsona steal?

She embezzled more than $1 million from Joumana Kidd and was ordered to pay $1,148,759.28 in restitution and forfeiture.

Q: Who was Tracii Hutsona's victim?

Her victim was Joumana Kidd, an actress and the former wife of NBA player and coach Jason Kidd. Hutsona was employed as Kidd's personal assistant.

Q: Where was Tracii Hutsona incarcerated?

She reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 20, 2023.

Q: When was Tracii Hutsona released from prison?

She was released by December 2024 and returned to operating the Breakfast Bitch restaurant.

Q: Did Tracii Hutsona have prior convictions?

Yes. In 2008 she was convicted in a separate federal fraud case in California, pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and tax evasion, and was sentenced to more than six years in prison with $484,439.79 in restitution.

Q: Who prosecuted the Tracii Hutsona case?

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York under U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy V. Capozzi. It was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the New York City Police Department.

Q: What is the Breakfast Bitch restaurant?

Breakfast Bitch is a brunch restaurant owned by Hutsona. It opened in Phoenix in November 2020 and later moved to 330 Roosevelt Row. An earlier location operated in San Diego. The brand's operating company, BB Restaurant Group, LLC, filed for bankruptcy while Hutsona was incarcerated.